What types of private feedback do you tend to receive?

[HopelessDreams]

For example, about what percentage of the messages you receive from readers consists of:

1. nothing more than feedback,
2. suggestions for future content,
3. friendly chatter,
4. hitting on you,
5. other?

Personally, I've received only two private messages since I first started posting stories here on July of last year; both messages consisted solely of feedback combined with somewhat vague requests for future content.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

A common phenomenon, especially for female-sounding pen names, is an initial volley of fairly crude remarks, propositions. Those fade fairly quickly if ignored. For the past few years, I’ve received mainly positive feedback. The occasional hate-filled knuckle-dragger can be ignored and blocked.

 

[shakna]

Privately?

Probably... 30% is "I love your work".
30% is "I hate you, your writing, and everything about you. But for some reason I've read absolutely everything you've ever written, and will continue to do so."
And the rest is a mix of either story suggestions, collaboration requests, or general friendly chatter.
Somewhere a little north of two hundred email chains, but I do actively encourage it, and post to a few of the more active categories.

 

[NotWise]

No one hits on me. Should I be sad?

Actually, I get very little private feedback. When I do it's usually a request for continuation, and sometimes those guys are pretty sure what I should write.

 

[Voboy]

People tend to ask me how my stories are related to each other. That's about 97% of mine. The rest is people trying to get free copies of my ebooks.

 

[SimonDoom]

I've never been hit on.

Most of the private comments I've received have been positive. I don't get them that often, and I can't think of any particular trend in the comments.

 

[NewOldGuy77]

Unlike story comments, the rare private feedback I received has been 100% positive. I always respond, thanking them for messaging me. Sometimes they make suggestions for story ideas.

 

[NewOldGuy77]

A common phenomenon, especially for female-sounding pen names, is an initial volley of fairly crude remarks, propositions. Those fade fairly quickly if ignored. For the past few years, I’ve received mainly positive feedback. The occasional hate-filled knuckle-dragger can be ignored and blocked.

Anyone saying anything bad about you is inconceivable! You're a very good writer, plus a very nice person. I posted a positive comment on one of your stories once, and you were nice enough to thank me via email! I've never forgotten it.

#TarnishedPenny4Life !!!

 

[other2other1]

I would say that about half of the comments I get are from people thanking me for writing. The other half is split into the usual people throwing insults, telling me what I wrote or spelt wrong and a few other Authors wanting to chat about plot points and what the motivation behind the events in my story was.

 

[Carnevil9]

The private feedback I've gotten (which is rare), has been uniformly positive. I think that trolls and other haters would rather post their bile where the world can see it.

Much of the private feedback also includes how the stories reminded them of episodes from their past, or some other personal connection. The kind of thing that they DIDN'T want to post in public where the world can see it.

There is also the occasional sneaky sales pitch: "I loved your story! Please check out my website at xxx.xxx.com"

 

[HeyAll]

The vast majority of my private feedback are quick notes about enjoying my work. Sometimes one sentence, sometimes a paragraph or two.

I reply back with a thank you, usually no reply back. Sometimes a quick follow up, like thanks for replying, or something like that.

 

[PennameWombat]

Hardly any. No one hits on me, not that I’m concerned about that. I’ve been on the internet long enough (since well before it was the ‘internet’) that I understand the built-in advantages of being clearly male.

I did have one person who revealed to me that they’d worked out the locations of my Mel’s Universe stories. In fact, they knew them down to individual buildings, despite all of them being renamed. It’s always been my intent for that to be possible, but not trivial, and I’m pleased I apparently did it well enough someone could trace many of the threads.

The vast bulk of my PMs are with other authors around reviewing or some cases where I agreed to write a story from another’s suggestion.

 

[Bramblethorn]

First few months, I feel like it was about 70% story feedback, 10% content suggestions, 20% hitting on me (or dudes who were clearly looking to hit on me but didn't get that far). Take those numbers with a large grain of salt, it was ten years ago and memory may have distorted things.

These days it's almost 100% story feedback. The horny dudes seem to have moved on to other writers.

 

[lovecraft68]

Its an extension of the comments on stories for the most part. A lot of 'that was hot' and not much else.
I get the opposite, telling me my stories suck and so do I.
I do get a some that are in depth feedback on the stories as well as some that just want to say hi
I've noticed two things when I reply

The first is many readers are pleasantly surprised I got back to them saying most authors don't, which is telling of the authors because most claim they want feedback and to know what people think, but apparently don't often engage with the readers, which by extension could get that reader to not read any more of their stories.

The second is because my e-mail for lit is the one used for a for sale pen name, and a female one, I don't get many flirty messages unless I reply. Then they see the name and some of the next responses become more sexual in nature, some ask for pictures.
I think trust me, you don't want my picture.

The last type is occasional nastygram from someone on the forums sent as anonymous who has no idea how obvious it is as to who they are. At one point I sent them an anon feedback referencing their last message to me and left it with "you know who you sent this to, might want to try harder" that stopped it for about three months.

 

[Duleigh]

I've lived in a lot of places, and I get very descriptive of the locations I write about so the majority of my direct feedback starts with "I used to live there! Did you ever go to..."

There is a veteran in every one of my stories. It's a tough job, and it can take a toll on you, mentally and physically. I gave one of my most popular characters a big dose of PTSD and get messages of thanks for bringing that to light. Quite a few start with "I still wake up..." followed by a very brief description of the nightmares.

One of my characters is a blind college professor and I've received emails from several blind readers of Literotica, one of whom is a blind college professor, another is a blind writer here at Lit. every single one has been thankful for a wonderful portrayal of the life of a blind person and @Blind_Justice gave me an incredible amount of information to use, I can't wait to put my character Jake back in the limelight.

What I do not get any feedback on is the interracial relationships which happen quite often in my stories, black/white, asian/white, hispanic/asian, elf/human. When I first started writing that would have been a HUGE issue, now not so much. I like that.

 

[PeytonMirabelle]

Almost all of the private feedback (via the Send Feedback button, to my email) has been positive. One or two negative, one asking me if I was taking requests for certain types of stories (which I wish I had time to do but my head is already jammed with more ideas than I feasibly tackle).

Conversely, 90% my messages here in the message board have been (unsolicited) crude come-ons, despite me putting in my writing profile that I am not looking for any extra-curricular activities. It might at least be accidentally amusing if they were ever anything more than "Wanna chat?" I just ignore and delete those.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Until I saw this topic I never knew this type of feedback went straight into my email. I kind thought I have an inbox for private feedback on my Literotica account? I found several messages in my spam folder and yes, all positive so far. Bah, I really need to figure out this interface

 

[peter49parker]

For example, about what percentage of the messages you receive from readers consists of:

1. nothing more than feedback,
2. suggestions for future content,
3. friendly chatter,
4. hitting on you,
5. other?

Personally, I've received only two private messages since I first started posting stories here on July of last year; both messages consisted solely of feedback combined with somewhat vague requests for future content.

So far, those that take the time to give me "Feedback" have all been positive. I always take the time to give them a personal reply, thanking them. The contents seem to be split between suggestions for
future stories, or to just thank me for the story, and how it struck a cord with them. A few have ended up with further dialogue, but most do not.

The comments are quite a different story. For the most part, very civil and positive. Then there are the anonymous trolls, who spew their personal dislike for me, my family, my right to breathe, and so on.

 

[Comshaw]

I've lived in a lot of places, and I get very descriptive of the locations I write about so the majority of my direct feedback starts with "I used to live there! Did you ever go to..."

There is a veteran in every one of my stories. It's a tough job, and it can take a toll on you, mentally and physically. I gave one of my most popular characters a big dose of PTSD and get messages of thanks for bringing that to light. Quite a few start with "I still wake up..." followed by a very brief description of the nightmares.

One of my characters is a blind college professor and I've received emails from several blind readers of Literotica, one of whom is a blind college professor, another is a blind writer here at Lit. every single one has been thankful for a wonderful portrayal of the life of a blind person and @Blind_Justice gave me an incredible amount of information to use, I can't wait to put my character Jake back in the limelight.

What I do not get any feedback on is the interracial relationships which happen quite often in my stories, black/white, asian/white, hispanic/asian, elf/human. When I first started writing that would have been a HUGE issue, now not so much. I like that.

Yes, most descriptions start that way, for good reason. Most don't do so all the time. It comes in waves, and from the most unexpected direction. It can come back with a vengeance when you think you've handled it.

My wife and went to see Forest Gump in the theater in the summer of '94 when it first came out. We sat in the front row to get the full experience. Everything was good up to the scene where he's running out of the jungle with tracers going by. When you're on the receiving end of tracers you don't see them as they come at you. You catch a glimpse, a flash of light for just a fraction of a second out of the corner of your eye as they go by. To me sitting in that theater chair, it felt just like that, just like I remembered. When it played out and scenes changed I felt like a big rock had been taken off my chest. I enjoyed the rest of the movie, but I was surprised atm y reaction to that scene. That wasn't the end of it though. I woke in the early morning hours with my wife shaking me. I was in a sweat and apparently I had been thrashing around muttering and calling out in my sleep. I don't remember what I was dreaming about but I do remember that feeling of terror fading in my gut as I woke.

That was 23 years after I came home. I thought I had dealt with it, the fear, the hate, the sick feeling for what i had seen. That night it was driven home, it would always be there, ready to jump out of the shadows and tear at my mind at the most unexpected times.

So kudos for bringing this to mind for those who don't know, or have never ( and I hope never will) have to deal with those particular demons.
Comshaw

 

[Duleigh]

Yes, most descriptions start that way, for good reason. Most don't do so all the time. It comes in waves, and from the most unexpected direction. It can come back with a vengeance when you think you've handled it.

My wife and went to see Forest Gump in the theater in the summer of '94 when it first came out. We sat in the front row to get the full experience. Everything was good up to the scene where he's running out of the jungle with tracers going by. When you're on the receiving end of tracers you don't see them as they come at you. You catch a glimpse, a flash of light for just a fraction of a second out of the corner of your eye as they go by. To me sitting in that theater chair, it felt just like that, just like I remembered. When it played out and scenes changed I felt like a big rock had been taken off my chest. I enjoyed the rest of the movie, but I was surprised atm y reaction to that scene. That wasn't the end of it though. I woke in the early morning hours with my wife shaking me. I was in a sweat and apparently I had been thrashing around muttering and calling out in my sleep. I don't remember what I was dreaming about but I do remember that feeling of terror fading in my gut as I woke.

That was 23 years after I came home. I thought I had dealt with it, the fear, the hate, the sick feeling for what i had seen. That night it was driven home, it would always be there, ready to jump out of the shadows and tear at my mind at the most unexpected times.

So kudos for bringing this to mind for those who don't know, or have never ( and I hope never will) have to deal with those particular demons.
Comshaw

I was too young to be there, I wasn't eligible to enlist until 1975 so I'm an early member of the "all volunteer force." Many of the sergeants who trained me in my days as a one and two striper were gunners on the AC-47, AC-119, and the AC-130 gunships and they were floating targets. When they came home, if they made it, they came home, airplane and air crew shot to pieces, but they were happy to have taken the heat off our brothers on the ground.

My stories in Stormwatch - A Rest for the Heart and Stormwatch - A Serene Summer Day cover Josh, a gunship veteran and his PTSD. The first story describes the mission that screwed him up, it was taken from experiences my sergeants had and USAF documentation of Air Medal and M.O.H. recipients.

The stories have triggered folks and for that I feel guilty and sorry I wrote them, but you incredible guys who went there and did the job, you came back to a cold and ungrateful country and relive that nightmare by reading my words and you thanked me for it.

No, thank YOU for being there for me.

 

[Lovecraft_Lore]

About 30% was from creeps when I was writing female POV stories. Either men hitting on me, being creepy, or else writing to let me know I am a huge slut for writing such a character.

About 30-40% is from other people who have written stories as I write a large number of comments on people's stories.

For a while, any story I read I would also comment on. I toned that down as I think it creeps some out if they have write 5 stories and three have comments from me.

They most want more feedback or are thanking me for commenting.

10% is people telling me I am going to hell and that they have reported me to Laura, the FBI, maybe even Mark Zuckerberg. I am still writing stories about witches and often portray organize religion in a bad light.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I receive a few emails a month from people who liked one of my stories. I receive requests to continue a story about once every four months. Once in a blue moon, I get a request to write a story with this or that in it. Most of the emails I receive are emails asking for my phone number, pictures of me (usually with the caveat, NUDE), online sex play, or telling me what they want to do to me. The creep factor in the last group is off the scale. I don't answer those! After all, they don't have my email until I answer their message.

 

[TadOverdon]

I don't get much, and much of what I get privately is complimentary. But too often I get these "Your awesome story reminded me of all the fun times that my mother/sister/father/cloned twin..."

What am I, Letters to Penthouse?

 

[BiscuitHammer]

I tend to get the extremes, gushing praise, or seething hatred. The latter is 99% from incels who are enraged by liberated women who don't want to have sex with THEM, or lunatic racists who hate when I stand up for indigenous people in my stories.

The gushing praise is fine, but in a sense the lunatics mean more, because I know I've touched something deep inside their twisted souls that they recoiled from, and they need to take out that rage on somebody.


So there's the usual threatening to kill me, or if they could, they'd throw acid in my female character's face, blah, blah. We've all heard it a million times before. One guy wanted to kill me for my vocal support of Ukraine and my anti-Putin stance. Funny part was, he was from Texas.

Not all anonymous reviewers are cowards, but all cowards review anonymously.

I admit, I do take no small joy in bringing the bile boiling inside them to the surface. It's not my aim in writing, but definitely a pleasant side-effect.

As for the gushers, well, keep it coming. Does wonders for the ol' ego. I'm only human.

 

[DarkRaven13]

I'm rather new here, but on the 1 story I have submitted I've gotten a few emails. I've also gotten a few emails from people who can somehow tell I am online I think. (Do I need to turn that setting off?)

Anyway, all so far have been positive, and nothing crude (yay!)

That being said, its sometimes hard not to believe someone is hitting on you, or testing the waters so to speak ... when they add or ask the basic ASL question.

Still, I have thanks them for their comments/compliments as it doesn't take all that much to be kind back ... of course, if/when I ever get any that go a step too far, I suspect I would just ignore it.

And ... I had actually debated using a gender-neutral name, and no avatar when I signed up. I really do want to better my writing skills, and on one hand, gender should not play a difference to me. On the other, it can make a difference or give credence to one's pov.....I think.